Siege of Kinsale
| Battle of Kinsale | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 4th Spanish Armada and the Nine Years' War | |||||||
Map of the siege of Kinsale, 1602 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Irish confederacy Spain | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Charles Blount George Carew Richard Leveson Donogh O'Brien |
Hugh O'Neill Juan del Águila Hugh Roe O'Donnell Richard Tyrrell | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
11,800 infantry 857 cavalry[1] |
Irish alliance 6,000 Spanish 3,500[2][3] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Unknown casualties many deserted, sick or dead to disease[4] |
Irish alliance 1,200 killed, wounded or captured (many later executed)[5] Spanish 100 killed or wounded 3,400 surrendered[6] | ||||||
The Battle of Kinsale took place from October 1601 to January 1602. It was the final and most important battle in the Nine Years’ War, when Irish lords fought against English rule. A Spanish army also came to help the Irish, making the event part of a bigger conflict between Catholic Spain and Protestant England.[7][8]
Background
Ireland had never been fully controlled by England. In the late 1500s, Irish leaders like Hugh O’Neil, Earl of Tyrone and Red Hugh O’Donnell led a rebellion. Spain decided to support them and sent soldiers to Kinsale in southern Ireland.[9]
The siege begins
The Spanish army landed around September 1601 and took control of Kinsale. The English general Lord Mountjoy responded by surrounding the town and blocking supply routes. The Spanish and Irish forces were cut off.[10]
The winter battle
In bitter winter weather, O’Neill and O’Donnell led a large Irish army south to fight the English. They and the Spanish planned a joint attack. But bad weather, poor communication, and the English cavalry’s strength broke their plan. The Irish army began to scatter and retreat in confusion.[11][12]
Aftermath
The English won. The Spanish inside Kinsale surrendered and were allowed to leave. The defeat meant the end of strong Irish resistance. Within a few years, the old Gaelic system was broken, and English power spread across Ireland.[13]
References
- ↑ Falls p.299
- ↑ Sandler p.465
- ↑ Corvisier/Childs p.423
- ↑ Lewis p.231
- ↑ Sandler p.466
- ↑ Canny p. 282
- ↑ Hiram Morgan (ed) The battle of Kinsale (Cork, 2006)
- ↑ Hiram Morgan (ed) The battle of Kinsale (Cork, 2006)
- ↑ O'Neill, A kingdom near lost: English military recovery in ireland, 1600-03, p.27
- ↑ Hiram Morgan (ed) The battle of Kinsale (Cork, 2006)
- ↑ O'Faolain, Sean (1970), The Great O'Neill, biography of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, 1550-1616, The Mercier Press Ltd, ISBN 978-0853421405
- ↑ Hiram Morgan (ed) The battle of Kinsale (Cork, 2006)
- ↑ Hiram Morgan (ed) The battle of Kinsale (Cork, 2006)